Unemployment
Age differences
The unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 is consistently higher than that of older age groups.
In 2007, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 was 9.7 percent, compared to 3.6 percent of the population aged 15 to 64.
Young people are a relatively vulnerable group in the labour-market as they tend to have less employment experience and relatively fewer skills than their older labour market competitors. Following the economic downturn of the early 1990s, recovery in this area has also lagged behind that of the total working age population.
Unemployment rate by age group, Census years 1991-2006
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, December year end average.
Unemployment rates also vary within the youth population.
Young people aged 15 to 19 are more likely to be unemployed than those aged 20 to 24. In 2007, the average unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 19 was 14 percent, more than double the rate for 20 to 24 year olds (6.2 percent).
| Age (years) | 1986 (%) |
1991 (%) |
1996 (%) |
2001 (%) |
2006 (%) |
2007 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 to 19 years | 11.5 | 21.9 | 15.8 | 15.6 | 13.7 | 14.0 |
| 20 to 24 years | 4.9 | 16.5 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 6.4 | 6.2 |
| 15 to 24 years | 7.9 | 18.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 9.6 | 9.7 |
| Total 15 to 64 years | 4.1 | 10.3 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, December year end average.
